My older daughter, Mia, has the most lovely head of fine hair. (My younger daughter, as lovely as she is, still doesn’t have a ton of hair…) But like so many kids’ hair, Mia’s hair is also perpetually in tangles.

What’s more, I think my kid also happens to be gunning for the title of Miss Sensitive Scalp, because every day when I attempt to take it from bird’s nest to ready-for-school, it becomes a major drama. Two friends, however, swore by the hair brushes they each were using on their own moppets’ mops, and so I bought both and gave them a test drive.

While you can use this on dry hair, the self-anointed “best detangling brush ever” in fact, DOES do its best work on a damp head. The secret is in the bristles, which have just enough give to keep from tearing at the strands, but are also firm enough to break through the worst knots. When I look at the bristles, they don’t look all that different than every other brush, but there must be some magic in them because it really is gentler than the ones I’d been previously using—and definitely better than anything I use on my own hair. I found that when I used it on my daughter’s hair after her bath, the knots were quickly eradicated, and even better, the knots were way improved in the morning. I didn’t love, however, how fuzzy it left her hair when I used it on dry hair. So the Wet Brush now lives in the bathroom for after-bath use only.

This curved, paddle-like brush fits pleasingly into the palm of your hand, and features a special pattern of flexible plastic “teeth” that’s designed to make it easy to get through ANY type of hair without yanking or tearing. (This is actually the brush they use at the kiddie hair salon we’ve gone to.) I found this brush works best on DRY hair, making quick work of the knottiest knots—without leaving the hair all poufy. It’s kind of a miracle brush, I must say. When your kid will only sit still for about five passes of a brush, you better make each one count, and with just a handful of swipes of the Tangle Teezer, I can cover her whole head! This is the brush I keep in the kitchen, where I can whip it out while she’s eating breakfast and getting ready for school. ($12.50)

Liz Krieger is a wife, mother, writer in Brooklyn, New York. She's been a magazine editor for over 15 years, having worked at publications including Health, Self, More, Real Simple, Allure, Good Housekeeping, and Parents magazine. She has written for publications including Bazaar, WebMD Magazine, Women's Health, and O, the Oprah magazine. She's the mother of two lovely little girls, and when not chasing after clumps of cat hair (thanks to the two orange tabby cats who sleep near her head), she can be found avoiding to cook, attempting to regain some semblance of core muscles, listening to podcasts while jogging around Prospect Park, and reading really, really fast. Special skills and interests: Figuring out how to have a clean, organised home without actually having to clean or organize, seething at various Real Housewives, varsity-level lint rolling, and the ability to eat an entire pineapple in one sitting.